Good IT Practices for Remote Work

GOOD IT PRACTICES FOR REMOTE WORK

The pandemic led to a widespread movement among companies and firms, with many transitioning to an online workspace. Many employees and workers began to work remotely and some firms are even implementing the change permanently. Now, with the upliftment in restrictions severity, many businesses are opting for hybrid workforces. With this change, there are still some concerns with working from home. Here are some ways that remote work impacts your IT security and what you can do to be more secure.

1. Increased Vulnerability

With the rise of remote work, cyber attacks have also increased and are only continuing to rise. There are also more risks associated with remote work, either with employee error or the workspace, simply being away from the firm means that many employees also have less protection available to them.

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Many employees may not have a quiet space to work at home, thus they may opt to work at a local café or another public space. Using public Wi-Fi can be problematic because it introduces a new slew of security risks - other individuals that have access to the same network can hack it to access your information.

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Furthermore, many employees also tend to use their personal devices for work - which can be incredibly dangerous. Personal devices likely do not have strong security measures in place - such as VPN, encrypted drives, antivirus software and endpoint protection. Personal devices can be easily compromised, putting your data at risk.

2. Lack of Employee Training

Human error is the cause of 95% of cyber attacks, and this is especially a concern with remote work. Employees that are not trained on the dangers of phishing may be vulnerable to attacks by cybercriminals. It is easy for cybercriminals to target employees working remotely because often, they are unable to immediately communicate with one another. Thus, employees assume that any requests coming into their inbox from managers or other co-workers are legitimate. It is important to educate your employees about common phishing schemes and how to avoid them.

3. Connectivity Issues

There can be many issues with internet delays, instability, crashes and VPN issues. This can lead to business delays and costs associated with a reduced level of productivity. IT support can help with optimizing connection speed and performance in order to ensure that business work does not fall behind.

Need IT Support?

Cyber Unit is here to help you with any and all of your IT needs. We provide customized IT support that’s right for your business. Learn more about how we can help you with your transition to a remote workplace and more here today.  

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